William Keene
The character biography of William Keene, acting warden at Facility F7AL:11-Y. Early life William Keene grew up in a suburban neighboorhood with his mother and father. His childhood can best be described as uneventfull, but his high school years were a troubled time, young William did not fit in with the popular kids in school, and he was bullied for a time. His parents did not have any trouble with putting him through college however, and young Williams dreams of becoming a judge was within reach when he got in trouble with the university for his political views concerning the less fortunate. He wrote a paper that was regarded by the faculty as "inhumane" and immoral, and was dismissed as a disciplinary action. His premature departure from the scholarly world did not go unnoticed however, and shortly there after he found a letter from the Curiatis Corporation in his mailbox, asking him to come in for an interview. Curiatis Career Shortly after attending the interview William got his first job within the company, as a correctional policy writer for a small a Minesotan branch of the company. They specialized in drug-related criminals and rehabilitation. Dispite not having a psycology degree William was soon responsible for adressing cost efficieny and treatment protocols of the most difficult withdrawal cases, and it was there he developed his distaste for drugabuse and what he came to call "weak willed individuals". Short Story Concept “Warden Keen! Come take a look at this!” an exited voice called from the other side of the corridor. William sighed and shook his head. The interns were always too excited and energetic. They would learn eventually, but he did not like these interruptions. He was busy working on a particular chess problem that a colleague had sent him yesterday. “Warden Keen! Prisoner XE-40522 is only five rooms from the exit! You must see this! He is brilliant!” the young intern called, prompting him once more to leave the comfort of his office. With a frown William pushed back his chair and picked up one of the hand rolled cigarettes that had been placed in a pattern of interlinking triangles across his desk. He lit it as he left the room, turning right down the corridor and entered the second door on the left. “What is it, Jenkins? The inmates’ progression is not the subject of your final thesis, if I remember correctly.” He said to the young man that was glued to one of the many monitors that covered the better part of the rooms center. “That’s true sir, but this guy, you need to see this. He is incredible! He has been electrocuted four times now, and he keeps on crawling towards the exit.” The intern said, leaning back in his chair and placing his hand behind his head. “And what is he in for? What was the sentence?” Will asked, looking through narrowed eyes at the monitor. “He is a murderer, sir. Killed his wife and her lover after he found them in bed.” The intern said. “Ah, that old tale. Give me the microphone please, and patch me through to the central speakers in his quadrant.” William said, already losing interest in the case. The intern hurried to obey, as was his place. “What will you tell him, sir?” he asked, glancing away from the keyboard. “What he needs to hear.” William looked at the crawling subject, noting the trembling limbs and singed clothing. “Prisoner Xe-40522, we wish to congratulate you! You are almost at the exit. In the next room you will find a key that will lead you to your freedom. All you have to do is figure out how to use it, and this nightmare will be over, and you can go back to your family and friends. I’m sure they must all miss you, and pray that you will get through this safely. It’s probably a good thing that you and your wife never had any kids, it would have been cruel to take both their parents away at once. If you had though, you would be really close to meeting them again. Remember what awaits you on the other side of the finish line XE-40522, I’m sure you can make it there.” William put the microphone on the desk beside the speechless intern and continued smoking his cigarette. He did not bother to glance at the screen before turning away and walking back towards his office. “Why did you do that?” the intern called after him. “He was going to make it!” William stopped and glanced over his shoulder. “If you forget your manners again I will make sure to make a point of it in your evaluation protocol. He was not going to make it, because he did not deserve to make it. He had no reason to fight, he just did so on pure instinct. Don’t you have a paper to work on, Jenkins?” “Yes sir, you are right, of course. I grew too attached to the subject. Won’t happen again, sir” he said, lowering his eyes to the floor. “That was your first mistake, Jenkins. Don’t look at them too long, or you will start to think of them as people. They are not people, Jenkins. Remember that” he said, and put out his cigarette on the doorframe. As he walked back to his office, hands clasped behind his back, he had already left the subject behind. His thoughts were back on the Chess problem, going through different moves in his head. “Damned interns” he mumbled to himself, as he closed the door to his office. “Too much time on their hands, that’s the problem”.